Airborne 08.18.17

Over 20,000 Pieces Of Luggage Missorted

British Airways canceled 54 more
flights at its gleaming new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport on
Monday as it struggled with a problem which sounds like deja vu to
long-time US fliers -- a computerized baggage-handling system that
has already helped misdirect at least 15,000 pieces of luggage.

Remember Denver International? Where they fought the machines
for a decade, and finally tore them out? Well, this is a lot like
that, but with a British flavor. And fistfights.

The New York Times reports BA has now canceled more than 250
flights in the five days since last Thursday, when the new terminal
opened to the public. The teething problems could not come at a
worse time for British Airways, which is already battling the high
fuel prices and declining consumer confidence which effect the
entire industry.

Things didn't improve much for Tuesday, either... as BA scrapped
a full 13 percent of its scheduled flights out of the new terminal,
destined to be the hub for the airline's operations at Heathrow. A
British Airways spokeswoman said another 50 flights were to be
cancelled Wednesday.

For its part, BA is bringing in some outside help to deal with
the luggage mess. According to Bloomberg, BA has enlisted a cadre
of companies and volunteers -- including none other than global
cargo hauler FedEx -- to help sort 20,000 pieces of lost and
misrouted baggage, and (hopefully) return them to their rightful
owners.

"We are making progress on the backlog but getting bags back to
passengers is complicated and quite time-consuming," BA spokeswoman
Sophie Greenyer said.

Even if the situation improves drastically in the coming days,
BA will still suffer economic ripples for weeks to come. Analyst
Gert Zonneveld of Panmure Gordon in London estimates BA could lose
$50 million US directly attributed to the problems at its new
terminal.

There's also the PR issue to contend with. As Hartford (CT)
Courant blogger Jeanne LeBlanc puts it, "It seems you might
as well throw your suitcase over a cliff as hand it to British
Airways at Heathrow. At least you'd know what happened to it."